‘Sword Art Online: Alicization – War Of Underworld’ Part 2, Episode 23 Preview, Spoilers: ‘New World’

Kirito returns to the real world after spending 200 years in the Underworld with Asuna. "Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld" Part 2, Episode 23 titled "New World" will likely explore Kirito's return to normalcy with his comrades in the real world. Meanwhile, Higa fears the government might shut down the Ocean Turtle facility for good.

This article contains spoilers

"Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld" Part 2, Episode 22 titled "Alice" opens with Rinko introducing Alice Synthesis Thirty to reporters as the true artificial intelligence.

When reporters ask what makes Alice different from other programmable robots, Rinko explains that the consciousness in the photonic brain of her skull make her stand out. She notes that it is not a program that can be rewritten with binary code.

During the press conference, reporters share their apprehensions about robots taking over the world which may lead to unemployment in the field of unskilled labor. Rinko assures that they have no intention to mass-produce AI like Alice.

Meanwhile, Alice meets Kirito in the hospital as he recovers. Elsewhere, the media reports confirm the death of Kikuoka during the raid and occupation incident at the Ocean Turtle facility.

Contrary to the report, Kikuoka is still alive. He's even able to tell Higa that they plan to pin the blame of the raid on him and eliminate him later.

During the episode, fans learn briefly what happened in the past 200 years. It is revealed that Kirito and Asuna were the king and queen of the Underworld. Kirito’s flashback confirms that after beating Gabriel, Kirito and Asuna’s victory is celebrated and they are able to win the hearts of the Underworld inhabitants.

Elsewhere, Higa is trying to run a copy of Kirito but fears it might collapse right away. He believes there is no way a human soul in a Lightcube can find out that it is a copy of itself.

To his surprise, he has successfully created a copy of Kirito. Higa confesses that he could not delete him as he is the first Fluctlight to survive 200 years. Higa tells Kirito that he might be the longest-living person in the history of humankind.

Toward the end of the episode, Kirito remembers his time with Eugeo and gets emotional. The post-credit scene shows Alice and Rinko attending an after-party. The next day, Kirito is sleeping in his apartment as his phone rings — It's Rinko calling.

"Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld" Part 2, Episode 23 is scheduled to air Saturday. The episodes are streaming on AnimeLab, Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu and HiDive.